Playing With Fire
by Kelthoran
Summary: Ranma returns after a 5 year absence. What happened to him and who is that little girl with him?
1. Chapter 1

Playing with Fire

I do not own Ranma 1/2, Rumiko Takahashi does.

Talking

_Thinking_

_What is going on? What happened to the apartment? Why did she tell the landlord we were moving out?_

These are the thoughts that plagued a certain pig-tailed young man who was riding the 6am train. Looking up, he saw that his destination was the next stop and woke the little girl next to him.

"Kiren, it's time."

The little redhead looked up at the young man with the sleep still in her eyes. "Okay daddy." She turned and picked up her backpack.

The young man stood and went to the doors, waiting for the doors to open, the little girl following him like his shadow. The train ground to a halt and the doors slid open to reveal their destination.

With a sigh, the young man said, "Nerima."

_It's been 5 years since I left, I wonder if anything has changed or will things just get worse?_

He looked down at the little girl next to him and smiled softly.

_Yeah, it has been 5 years, but I wouldn't trade those years for anything. Kiren brought change to my life made me what I am._

Looking around the station nervously, he silently wondered how long it would take the chaos this town brought to his life to return. Then he faced his daughter again. "Well, Auntie Nabiki should be here. Let's go see if she is home." Home, the one thing he wanted to give her more than anything.

_Nabs, you have some explaining to do._

He turns to lead Kiren to where he knows he will find Nabiki, not seeing the big smile on his daughters face.

_Daddy, hope you're ready for your surprise._

At the Tendo Dojo, a young woman had woken up before anyone else, gone outside to do her early morning exercises and then gone and cleaned up before donning a dress and going into the kitchen to cook breakfast. Now, most people who knew this dojo would say that this occurrence was nothing out of the ordinary. However, if those people had looked closer, the young woman in question was not who they thought.

Nabiki smiled to herself. She never used to wake up this early. In fact, being up this early would have never happened to the old Nabiki. She had gone through her morning workout and still had time to soak in the furo for a good 20 min before she came downstairs. Kasumi was still asleep; Nabiki had assured her that she would take care of everything the night before.

Anyone who knew her would be shocked to see her humming happily to herself as she cooked breakfast in what was one of Kasumi's usual dresses that she had borrowed. Her hair was a little longer than it had been 5 years ago, but she still gave off the aura of confidence she had when she was known as "The Ice Queen of Nerima". She didn't care to use that title anymore though; she had found one much more meaningful.

It had happened the day after the failed wedding. She had received a phone call that changed her life.

A/N: What's going on?!?! Don't worry, things will be explained later on. R&R


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Ranma 1/2 Rumiko Takahashi does

Talking

_Thinking_

I thank everyone for the reviews. Hope you like this chapter.

Nabiki smiled to herself as she put the finishing touches on the meal she had prepared.

_I might not be as good as Kasumi yet, but I'm getting close. Not that those 5 years of cooking for a family like mine gave me much choice._

A family like hers. She loved how that sounded. Since that phone call 5 years ago, her life had defiantly made a turn for the better.

Since that call, she had found a family, her charming husband and her loving daughters. He supported her through college, working several jobs and taking care of their daughters while she attended classes. He was so proud of her; he gave her 2 dozen roses for her graduation yesterday.

Smiling as she sipped her tea, she thought back to the event that changed her life.

Flashback

Ring Ring

Nabiki looked up from the manga she was reading.

_That's the business phone. I wonder whose calling._

Picking up the cell phone she had bought to help her keep in touch with her associates, she answered the call, not knowing how it would change her life.

"Hello"

"Oh, it's you. Where have you been?"

"So, you need my help. You do know that this is going to cost you, right?"

"I was just making sure you understand. So, how can I help you?"

"We'll discuss the cost once I find out what it is you need."

"Wow….Only you would come to me for this kind of thing. Alright, I'll see what I can do for you. Call me back in 30 minutes."

Flashback End

_All things considered, I am glad he didn't ask anyone else._

Smiling at the fond memories, she looked up as she heard people moving around. Looking forward to the events of today, she went to set the table for her sisters and father.

_I can't wait, won't he be surprised._

Ranma tread very softly around Nerima, taking care to blend in, and not stand out.

_I hate this slow going. I could have been at the dojo by now, but with Kiren here, I can't risk being seen. At least we're almost there._

By keeping his aura down and walking on the sidewalks, not on the roofs or fence tops, he had made his way through the district without incident. But he knew it was only a matter of time.

Kiren chuckled at her fathers actions.

_Daddy, you have been training me since I could walk. You have told me about the people here, but I've only had you and mommy to measure myself against. I want to see how strong I really am._

For as long as Kiren could remember, her daddy had trained her in his art. Nothing like what he had gone through, according to her mommy, but no matter how much she learned, she wanted more.

While her father had taught her to use her fists, Kiren's mom taught her the power of the mind. She was smarter than most children her age, already being able to red and write.

_I'm glad I have the mommy and daddy I have, even if they are a little unique._

For Akane, the day couldn't have started stranger. First, she wakes up after a night of celebrating Nabiki's graduation, to find that same sister had not only made breakfast, but that the food was nearly as good as Kasumi's. Then, Nabiki offered to help Kasumi with the chores.

_What's going on? Why is Nabiki helping Kasumi out with the house? Is she blackmailing Kasumi? That has to be it. She's offering to help so she can get her alone. Damn that Nabiki, she's going as far as to blackmail Kasumi._

While Akane was sitting at the table, jumping to conclusions, Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome went to the dojo.

"Tendo, have you heard anything about the worthless son of mine?"

"Saotome, if anything new had been found out, we would know."

_Boy, where are you? You have to get back here so my retirement is assured._

_Saotome, do you think we might have done the wrong thing at the failed wedding? No, the schools must be joined._

Nabiki watched her father and Genma walk out to the dojo.

_I wonder if they're still looking for Ranma. They haven't asked me to look for any information on him since I left for college._

A knock on the door roused her from her thoughts.

"I'll get it"

Akane looked up in confusion.

_Why is Nabiki answering the door? What is happening today? Am I in a strange, alternate reality? Or is that a fake Nabiki? That has to be it; Nabiki would never act this way._

Nabiki wiped her hands and checked to ensure she hadn't dropped anything, and then opened the door.

Ranma was getting nervous.

_Well, we are almost to the dojo. I wonder how long this lucky streak will hold out. I didn't expect to even make it this far._

Finally arriving at the dojo, Ranma set his shoulders, entered the grounds and knocked on the door. Behind him, Kiren was smirking with the same smirk that her father had worn when he had lived in this house.

"Ranma, you're late."

"Well, hello to you too Nabiki. Can we come in?"

"Sure, I'm sure you have some questions."

"Yes I do, like why didn't you tell me you told the landlord we didn't need the apartment anymore?"

"I had my reasons. Now, drop your stuff and go get ready for a tournament."

"And why should I go do that? I'm not entered in any tournament today."

"Sure you are. I entered you." Nabiki pulls a flyer out of the apron Kasumi had given her, so her dress wouldn't get dirty. Ranma looks it over.

"Nerima Martial Arts Tourney? And how exactly did you enter me in this?"

"Well, that's easy. You signed the form yourself last week, remember?" She pulled out a copy of his application.

"So that's what it was I signed? Fine I'll go. Why is this so important, Nab's?"

"You have a debt to me, Saotome and now I'm cashing it in."

She was trying to get a rise out of him, and needless to say, Ranma fell for it.

"Oh, and what exactly do I owe you, Nabiki?"

Reaching into her apron again, she pulled out another paper and held it in front of his face, ensuring that it was completely within his sight. Ranma froze; she was holding a marriage certificate, with his name on it, next to hers.

"A honeymoon, dear husband, is what you owe me."

A/N: What? Ranma and Nabiki are married? How did that happen? Read the next chapter to find out. Well, see you next chapter. Read and review please. I like hearing feedback.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Ranma ½ Rumiko Takahashi does.

Talking

_Thinking_

AN: I am sorry for how long this chapter took, but my muse decided that she needed a vacation, and then proceeded to take a trip to a remote location. After that, it was discovered that the notes I had made for this chapter and the ones following it were destroyed in an accident. I appreciate all the reviews, and hope all of you like this chapter. Hopefully all your questions will be answered.

Nabiki couldn't help but smirk. Just as she had expected, Ranma's brain had shut down. She then turned to her daughter and knelt down, a smile on her face.

"If I were to take a guess, I would say that daddy did stop for breakfast today. Am I right?"

Kiren giggled at her mothers antics and nodded.

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing I saved each of you a plate. Let's go to the kitchen and get yours."

Kiren's smile grew to the point that it was almost bigger than her face, and followed her mother towards the kitchen. Nabiki looked back at her husband for a moment, studying his posture and expression then pulled out a camera and took a few pictures. Nabiki then turned and called up to Kasumi.

"I'm going to be in the kitchen for a while, Kasumi."

Nabiki led her daughter into the kitchen without waiting for a reply from Kasumi. She found a stool for Kiren to sit on and then put a warm plate of food on the counter. She then turned to Kiren and knelt down to look her in the eye.

"Now I know you know daddy's eating technique, but remember the rule I told you."

"I know mommy, I can't eat like that unless it's just me and daddy. Or if Grandpa Panda tries to use it on me or sissy."

Nabiki smiles as she stands up. She sits Kiren down on her stool and lets her enjoy her food. She smiles as her daughter digs into her food.

_Hmmm, Ranma should be waking up soon. I hope this goes well._

Almost on queue, the object of Nabiki's thoughts shouted out.

"NABIKI, WE NEED TO TALK!"

_I wish he had been quieter about that. Now everyone in the house knows he's here._

Nabiki sighed and called out to her husband.

"I'm in the kitchen Ranma."

At this point, several things happened all at once. Akane stopped worrying about Nabiki's actions from earlier and shot up from her seat with a scowl on her face when she heard Ranma. Kasumi put down her cleaning rag and started downstairs, wanting to know what all the fuss was about. Soun and Genma remained clueless.

Ranma ran into the kitchen, the worry evident on his face.

"Nabs, why did you come back here? If that certificate is authentic, then you are going to have 3 or 4 people after your head. What happens when they find out about Kiren? I stayed away for a reason, remember!"

"Ranma, please calm down. Yelling at Nabiki isn't going to change the fact that you are here."

Ranma looked in the direction of the soft, caring voice.

"I know Kasumi; I just wanted to do this on my terms." Ranma sighed and looked at his daughter. _I hope I don't regret bringing her here._

"RANMA!!!!!!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the dining room, where the shout seemed to come from.

"Well, it seems that the "Princess" is on her way. Nabs, grab Kiren and get behind me, this could end badly."

Nabiki grabbed her daughter and moved closer to Ranma just as Akane stormed into the kitchen.

"SO RANMA, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! WHICH OF YOUR WHORES WERE YOU SHACKED UP WITH? RANMA YOU JERK!"

Ranma sighs to himself.

_Same old Akane, I see. She didn't even let me say anything. She just automatically jumped to conclusions as she always does._

Everyone in the room watched as Akane's aura flared, the red tint of rage evident even to Kasumi. Kiren's eyes narrowed as her aunt raised her hands above her head and called forth her Mallet-sama, punisher of all who piss off the Princess Akane.

Nabiki scowled at her sister. _She has no idea who she's dealing with._ Kasumi looked on with similar thoughts, but added her own. _I wonder if Ranma is going to let her hit him this time. Maybe he's grown a backbone since the last time I saw him. Hey, stranger things have happened._

Akane, oblivious to everyone in the room besides Ranma, rushed forward with her mallet ready to deliver justice upon her wayward fiancé. As she reached the halfway point, her mallet suddenly became quite light in her hands. When she glanced up to see what the cause was, she saw Mallet-sama had been burned into charcoal.

_What the hell? How did that happen?_

Ranma watched as Akane stopped her bull rush and glanced back at his daughter.

"Kiren, what did I tell you about doing that?"

"Sorry daddy, but she was going to hurt you. I didn't want that to happen, so I stopped her."

Ranma sighed and knelt down to look his 7 year old daughter in the face. He brushed her red hair out of her face so he could look into her green eyes. Her clothing mimicked her father's except she liked green, so had a green shirt on. Her hair was down to the middle of her back and was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Kiren I know you meant well, but we do not use that on people. It's too dangerous and what if the fire had spread to her clothing. Please think about stuff like that next time."

"He's right Kiren. While I am proud of the control you showed by flash burning your aunt's mallet into ash, it was very dangerous and we are lucky no one was hurt."

Kiren looked at her parents and smirked.

"Like you two weren't thinking of doing something similar."

Ranma looked at his daughter for a moment before turning to his wife.

"I knew you taught her to be way too smart for her own good, Nabs."

"Hey, you're the one who didn't want her ending up like you."

Kiren couldn't help but laugh out loud at her parents as they shot comments back and forth.

"Who is she and what happened to my mallet?!"

"Akane, that will be explained in due time. Now, let's all go out to the dojo, I don't feel like explaining this more than once today and the fathers have a right to know."

Nabiki turned and walked out to the dojo with Kiren in tow. Ranma trailed right behind his daughter and he was followed by Kasumi and Akane. Nabiki entered the dojo and looked at the two middle age men sitting together in the middle of the room, huddled close so that their voices wouldn't carry.

"Daddy" Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "Genma; we have something we need to talk about."

"What is that, Nabiki?"

"My husband and daughters are what I want to talk about, Father."

Both fathers looked at her with wide eyes.

"Husband and daughters, but Nabiki, you don't have either of those."

Nabiki smirked and pulled in Ranma and Kiren.

"Oh, but didn't I tell you? The families are joined, just like you wanted."

"RANMA WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

"DAUGHTER, WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?"

Nabiki calmly sat down facing the fathers and pulled her daughter into her lap.

"Well, if everyone will sit down, we will try to explain how this all came about."

Ranma sat next to Nabiki, while Akane sat next to Genma while Kasumi was next to her father.

"Nabiki, you said daughters, how many more do you have and where are they?"

"There is only one other, and she was at a sleepover with her friends last night, she knows where we are and how to get here. She should be arriving just before Mother Nodoka."

"Nodoka is coming here? Soun my friend, I'm afraid I must be off."

"Oh no Pops, you're staying right there. We are both going to greet mom when she gets here."

"Foolish boy, she'll kill us both if we stay here!"

"And why would she do that? I have a wife and two daughters. Don't you think that is more than manly enough for her?" _Even though I had no clue about being married, I have to thank Nabiki. She gave me a way to finally talk to mom without worrying about that damn pledge._

"Nabiki, what I would like to know is how all this happened. How did you come to be married to Ranma? How is it that you have two daughters?"

Nabiki looked from Ranma to her father.

"Well daddy, I have to let Ranma start the tale, I was not there at the beginning."

"Well Mr. Tendo, it all started the night of the failed wedding."

**Flashback**

Ranma is walking down the street, still in the tux he was forced into not that long ago.

_Why does nothing ever go right for me? Why does everyone feel the need to interfere with my life? I'm not greedy, there was more than enough water in that cask for all of us to be cured, but no, they had to have it for themselves._

Ranma sighs to himself then looks up as he hears a scream. He runs in the direction of the scream and arrives at the scene of a house fire, a small red-headed girl being the one who screamed. Ranma runs over to her and checks her over for injuries.

"Are you okay?"

The little girl looks up to him with tears in her eyes.

"Mommy…"

"Where is your mother?"

She points to the burning building.

"Your mommy's inside that building?"

The little girl nodded at Ranma and turned back to the burning building.

"I wonder if anyone is alive in there."

Then he looks back at the little girl and nods to himself before running inside to try to find anyone that might be inside.

**Flashback End**

"When I went inside, I found several bodies, including a few children, all charred beyond recognition. I don't know what happened there, but from what I could tell, her mother was dead before the fire started."

"I called the fire department and did what I could to prevent the fire from spreading. After the firemen showed up, I check Kiren over for wounds and kept her nearby. The police took my statement and I asked if I could look after the girl, since she was alone now."

Ranma glanced over to Kiren before returning his gaze to his father and the tendos.

"The officer I talked to said I could watch her for the night, but unless I adopted her, she would end up in an orphanage. After what she had been through, I couldn't let that happen. So I managed to scrounge enough money for a hotel and got a room for the night."

"The next morning, I called the one person I knew that could help me with keeping Kiren out of an orphanage."

**Flashback**

Ranma wasn't looking forward to this. _But if it keeps Kiren out of an orphanage, then I'll do it._ He then picks up the phone and dials.

"Hello"

"Hello Nabiki"

"Oh, it's you. Where have you been?"

"I can't tell you right now, but I can explain after you help me with a problem I have."

"So, you need my help. You do know that this is going to cost you, right?"

"I've been around you enough to know that, but this is too important to take to anyone else. You might charge an arm and a leg, but you always come through."

"I was just making sure you understand. So, how can I help you?"

"How much is this going to cost me?"

"We'll discuss the cost once I find out what it is you need."

"Well, last night after I left, I ran into a little girl. Her mother died in a fire and she was all alone outside the building where her mother died. I am watching her right now but she will be put into an orphanage unless someone adopts her. I want to be the one who does."

"Wow….Only you would come to me for this kind of thing. Alright, I'll see what I can do for you. Call me back in 30 minutes."

"Okay Nabiki. I'm going to trust you to keep this to your self for now. If anyone else found out, I doubt she or I would get a moments rest and she really needs time to deal with what happened."

"I understand Saotome. Just call back in 30 minutes."

**Flashback Ends**

The fathers looked at Ranma in shock. Akane's face perfectly displayed the barely controlled rage she was feeling and Kasumi just gave Ranma a proud smile.

"Ranma, as much as I would like you to continue the story, you have a tournament to get to. I'll tell your mother where you are."

Ranma looked at Nabiki and sighed.

"Oh, come on Ranma. It's not that bad. Besides, you haven't done anything like this in a while. And when you come home tonight..."

Nabiki whispered in Ranma's ear and his eyes grew wide and he got a nosebleed.

"Nabs, I never knew."

"Well Ranma, we have been married for 5 years now. You didn't think I would let you get away without a wedding night, did you?"

Ranma paled for a moment and then blushed.

"Just get going, Ranma. Have fun, but don't come home too tired. You'll need some energy for when you get home."

Ranma stared at Nabiki for a few moments before smiling.

"Okay Nabs. I promise I won't go all out and come home exhausted."

Ranma stands and walks out of the dojo.

"Well, where were we?"

"Ranma had called you to help him with adopting Kiren."

"Thank you Kasumi. Well, I looked into what Ranma wanted and after 10 minutes I found that he could adopt her, but at his age, he would have to be married. I thought about the situation and after hearing about how traumatized Kiren was, I felt that there was only one option. So when Ranma called, I had him meet me at city hall."

Nabiki looks down at the little girl in her lap and smiles.

"While I was getting the adoption papers, I also got marriage papers. I combined the stacks and took them out to where Ranma was to get Kiren's information and for him to sign where appropriate."

"Why did you marry him? Why not ask me to? He was MY fiancé!!!"

Akane's control over her rage had obviously broken. Her red aura flared and her knuckles were white.

"You're giving a perfect demonstration of why I didn't let anyone know. Do you really think that placing a recently traumatized little girl in your care would have been a good idea? Even if you hadn't turned your temper on her, you would have led her around town, showing off your way of winning Ranma."

Akane's eyes lit up with the flames of her rage and her mallet began to materialize in her hands.

"How dare you! Taking MY fiancé! What right did you have to make that decision?! Who do you think you ARE?! HE WAS MINE!!"

Akane charged Nabiki, her mallet-sama ready to deal justice to the bitch of a sister who had dared steal her "fiancé" from her. As she brought her instrument of justice down upon the thief, she grinned. _She can't dodge this now. She'll get what she deserves._

Just as Akane thought victory was all but achieved, Nabiki rolled to her left with Kiren still in her lap. Once out of the way of the mallet, she sent a kick up into her sister's jaw. This shocked Akane enough for Nabiki to get further away from her sister and get Kiren to safety. She then stood and set Kiren down, her own red aura flaring brighter than Akane's.

"Akane, if you endanger my family again, neither Ranma nor I will take responsibility for what happens."

"I doubt you could do anything to me Nabiki. That kick was just a lucky shot."

"Whatever makes you feel better, Akane. Now, if I can get back to the story. Well, after watching Ranma with our new daughter, I knew he would be a good father."

"How did all this happen and no one found out? Where did the official documents go daughter?"

Nabiki smiles at her father and would have answered his question, but at this exact moment her cell phone rings.

"Hello."

"Yes darling."

"She should be he just after you then."

"Okay, just be careful. See you when you get here."

Nabiki hung up her cell phone and put it back in her apron pocket.

"Sorry about that. Where were we again?"

"I believe that father asked about the official documents."

"Thank you again, Kasumi."

Nabiki smiles at her sister.

"That was actually the easiest thing to set up. I called Mother Nodoka after Ranma called me back and told her everything. She told me to have all the official documents sent to her and no one here would be the wiser. I also discovered that getting the clan head's permission was easier than I thought it would be."

Genma didn't like the way this was going. _She couldn't have, she wouldn't._

"You can imagine how surprised I was when I found out that Mother Nodoka was the clan head. So you can imagine how interested she was when I started to tell her all I knew about the 10 year training journey."

A red aura flared for a second time, but this time it came from Genma.

"You BITCH!! What have you done?!"

"What have I done? That's simple, you lazy oaf. I told your wife about what happened on your training journey and then I got you removed from the clan register. Your wife has divorced you and you are now a ronin."

Genma was livid. _All that work I put into raising my meal ticket, I mean my son and for what, so this bitch can take away everything from me? She is going to pay right NOW!_

Genma charged Nabiki in an almost exact reenactment of how Akane had just tried to. Genma was faster than Akane however, so Nabiki was not able to dodge the incoming strike. A voice cried out form the dojo entrance that only Nabiki and Kiren recognized.

"**MOKO TAKABISHA!"**

A/N: Wow, finally done. Again, I would like to apologize for how long this chapter took. I knew where I wanted this to go, but without my muse and notes, it took longer than I wished. Well, I hope that explains a few things. Please review, I love hearing feedback.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to their respective creators.

Talking

_Thinking_

"**MOKO TAKABISHA!"**

The yellow blast shot into the dojo and straight into one Genma Saotome. The blast sent him hurling into the opposite wall of the dojo. As he impacted, only one thought was in his head. _Where did that come from? Ranma is no where near here. Who could have…_But that was as far as Genma got before impacting the wall.

Akane watched all this occur with a sense of detachment. She was still in shock over everything she had just heard. _What is going on? How? Why? He was mine. And she stole him from me. Nabiki, you stole my fiancé. You're no better than Ukyo or Shampoo._ Her eyes narrowed as she glared at her sister. _You'll pay, Nabiki._

Kiren looked over her shoulder and said to Genma's assailant, "Wow, you have sure gotten fast Sis. It would have taken you twice as long to get here a year ago." She then smiled and ran up to her sister, giving her a hug. Nabiki smiled as she addressed her daughters. "Kiren is right, Hotaru. You have gotten faster."

Everyone turned their attention to the newcomer. She appeared to be around 16 with her dark purple hair framing her face in a similar style to Nabiki's. Her outfit was simple, a white blouse with an ankle length blue skirt. "If I have improved, I have you and Ranma-papa to thank for it, Nabiki-mama."

"I take it this is your other daughter, Nabiki." said Soun.

"Yes daddy. This is Hotaru Saotome, formally Hotaru Tomoe. We took her in after her former guardians were killed in a helicopter accident." said Nabiki.

Hotaru glanced back behind her before saying, "I hope it's alright, but I brought a friend to help me with my things."

"That's fine, Hotaru. So, who did you bring with you?" asked Nabiki.

Hotaru stepped into the dojo and then moved from the doorway to reveal another person.

The young woman with Hotaru had long black hair and deep blue, almost purple eyes.

Nabiki smiled and said, "Hi Rei. Why did you volunteer? I almost expected Makoto."

Rei smiled, though it looked forced, and said, "Oh, I'm just here to help a friend out. Oh, I have something to talk to you about, Nabiki. It's important but it can wait until this is done."

Nabiki studied Rei for a moment before turning back to her family and saying, "Father, as you now know the families are joined. So now, we have come here asking for the promised dowry for fulfilling the agreement."

With this, Akane's eyes widened before narrowing. She then said, "So, now you come asking for the dojo. You left for college in Juuban and didn't bother to come back to see us the whole time you were gone, and now that you finally come back, you're taking not only my fiancé but MY DOJO AS WELL!! WELL, I WON'T STAND FOR IT! THIS DOJO IS MINE, AND IF YOU WANT IT, YOU HAVE TO BEAT ME, THE HEIR TO THE TENDO DOJO!!"

Nabiki stared at her sister for a moment before saying, "I might not have come here to visit, but that never prevented you from coming and seeing me, sister. If seeing me was so important, than why did I not see any of you until the day of my graduation? And since when was Ranma yours? All I remember hearing the whole time he was here was how you weren't going to marry that pervert and now you don't have to. As for the dojo, it is my dowry as the one who joined the schools and married Ranma."

Akane's aura flared as her rage began to take over her mind. She glared at Nabiki for a minute then shouted, "NABIKI, I CHALLENGE YOU FOR THIS DOJO!!"

Nabiki studied her sister for a moment before turning to her daughters and saying, "Well, it looks like our school has its first challenger. Do either of you wish to accept or is it going to be me?"

Kiren turned to Hotaru and they whispered back and forth until they turned back to their mother and said, "You can accept mom. You know more about her style than we do."

Nabiki nodded to her daughters and turned back to Akane and said, "Looks like I will be your opponent, Akane. Are you sure this is what you want? If you do this, there won't be any going back."

Akane growled out, "I'm sure, sister. Are you ready?"

Nabiki stood there watching her sister for a moment before turning to Soun and saying, "Father, I would like you to officiate this match. Should Akane win, she gets the dojo. Should I win, I get to keep my dowry." Nabiki then turns to Akane and says, "Last chance Akane. There will be no forgiveness if you continue down this path. You will not be welcome in my house if you burn this bridge, dear sister."

At this, Akane's restraint went out the window. She charged across the dojo and cocked her arm back for a knockout punch. At least, it would have knocked Nabiki out if she had stood still. Akane found herself being spun and then thrown back the way she came and glanced back to see that Nabiki had thrown her. _How did she do that? She had to have cheated. She can't be better than me._

Nabiki smirked as her sister responded the way she expected. Then she spoke to her sister saying, "Still letting that anger rule your judgment, Akane? Fine, if that's how things are going to be. Bring it, Akane." She then fell into a stance that the Tendo's didn't recognize, but Kiren and Hotaru did.

_Mother's taking this seriously. I didn't think she would use this against family._ Hotaru thought to herself.

_Go mom! Kick her ass!_ Kiren mentally shouted, silently hoping she would get to fight next, regardless of whoever won.

Suddenly, a voice came from the dojo door. "Nabiki, please refrain from permanently hurting your sister. She isn't thinking clearly. Oh Rei, how nice to see you. I'm glad to see you but why are you here?"

Both Rei and Nabiki turn to the voice and Rei said, "Oh hi, Auntie Nodoka. I'm here to discuss something with Nabiki, but since you're here could I talk to you as well?" Nodoka nodded then turned to Nabiki and Akane. "Please, let Nabiki and I deal with this business of Rei's so we can get on with this challenge with no worries."

Rei glances from Nodoka to Nabiki and back again before nodding and saying, "Can we talk in private for a moment? I promise this won't take long."

Nabiki and Nodoka nod and lead Rei away from the dojo. They are gone for a few minutes before a shout was heard. "WHAT!!!" There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the voice belonged to Nabiki.

After a few moments of silence, Nabiki returned to the dojo, quickly followed by Rei and Nodoka. "Sorry about that Akane, but that was important." Nodoka and Rei sat with Hotaru and Kiren to watch the fight.

Nabiki turned to Akane and said, "Lets begin." As Nabiki drops into her stance, Akane rushes across the dojo again.

_What happened last time was a fluke, it had to be. There is no way Nabiki could be better than me. _Akane convinced herself as she blindly charged her sister.

Nabiki could guess what Akane was thinking. She smirked at her sister as she stood waiting for the blindly charging form of her sister. She reached her senses out and took a hold of the moisture from the koi pond in the yard and brought it to her, forming a wall of water in Akane's path. _Let's see how they deal with this._ Nabiki thought as she formed the water barrier.

More than a few eyes widened as the wall of water formed in-between the two sisters. The only ones that seemed unaffected were Kiren, Hotaru and surprisingly, Rei. Nabiki's face broke into a confident smirk as her sister gawked at the water before her.

"You look surprised Akane? After talking to Kiren and spending the remaining time I had at Furinkan High on the road with her, he found he could mimic her pyrokinesis. You know how Ranma is, once he learns something, he goes about trying to improve it." Nabiki taunted. "Well, as you can see, he did just that. After he figured out Pyrokinesis, he quickly adapted it and managed to discover Aquakinesis, Aerokinesis, and Terrakinesis."

Kiren, Hotaru and Rei again were the only ones unaffected by this revelation. As the wall of water dissipated, Nabiki dropped into a defensive stance, water flowing up and over her hands and taking the form of gloves. "So sister, are you ready to give up?"

Needless to say, Akane was livid. _Why did that pervert teach her and not me? What did she do that I didn't? No, she couldn't have… She didn't sleep with him did she?_ "How did you get him to teach you, slut?" Akane half accused her sister. "What did you do for him that I didn't do?"

It was Nabiki's turn to gawk. _Did she just call me…? Okay Akane. That's all I needed to hear. _Nabiki's face hardened and the water moved up her arms, stopping at the elbow. "All I ever did for Ranma was give him a home and a shoulder to lean on. None of you ever listened to what he had to say, me included. We all wanted him to do what we wanted, never asking the important questions, like what he liked to do or what he wanted."

"After seeing Ranma with Kiren, I couldn't help but think about the wrongs I had committed against him. All the times I sold pictures of him or sold some information about him. All the times I put making money over everything even my own morals. All these things came to mind as I watched this young man I thought I knew change into someone I didn't recognize, all due to the presence of a single two year old girl." Nabiki continued.

Looking up at Akane, Nabiki asked, "If I had came to you about this, could you honestly have dealt with Kiren's abilities as well as I have? At first, anything could set her off. Ranma told me he had to replace their tent at least 10 times in the time I had left in Furinkan. She had little control over her abilities and used what control she did have whenever she felt threatened."

Nabiki sighed before continuing. "I know what you would have done, Akane. Oh do I know. You would have gone straight to Ukyo and Shampoo and told them exactly why they should leave your unwanted fiancé alone. After hearing you, they would have come directly here, seeking the truth. They would have found Ranma with Kiren and things would have degraded from there."

Meanwhile, another person was deep in thought about the revelations Nabiki had set forth, if not for completely different reasons. _So that's what he was teaching me. I wonder why he took the time to teach me and not the others. I saw the same things, Nabiki. I saw how much he changed when one of his daughters was around. Even when they weren't there, he always put their wellbeing above his own. He's a wonderful father_ At this thought, she absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. _A wonderful father…_

"No Akane, if anyone caused you to lose not only Ranma, but this challenge as well, it was yourself. If not for your mistrust and abuse of my husband, he would have come to you for help with this. He would have trained you and I would not have the skills to win." Nabiki's face grew softer for a moment and said, "I am sorry for this, Akane. I had wanted things to be different but you pushed this." Nabiki's face hardened again. "And as I was the one who was challenged, I am going to finish it too."

Akane stood gaping as her sister quickly crossed the dojo and slammed her palm into her chest, throwing her into the dojo wall. Everyone was shocked to see Akane flying across the dojo. Akane groaned as she slowly got up and faced her sister.

Akane slowly started to cross the dojo but stopped halfway when she thought she felt something off in the distance. Nabiki, Rei, Nodoka, Kiren and Hotaru all noticed it as well.

As the feeling grew, Nabiki whispered, "Hiryu Shoten Ha"

**With Ranma, 10 minutes ago**

Ranma was not having the best of days. Everything had been great in his life; until he found out he was married to Nabiki. He wasn't upset about being married or it even being to Nabiki, no something else weighed on his mind.

"_Why didn't she tell me? I wish I had known. I would have done things differently if she had just told me. How am I going to tell Rei about this? It would be this way. I can't ever escape the chaos, can I?_"

Needless to say, Ranma's mind was not on the tournament he was attending. Even in his distracted state, he had easily made it to the final round and was currently waiting for the other semi-final match to end. He was so preoccupied in fact; he didn't notice a young woman sneaking up on him.

"Hello there, Ranma. What are you doing here?" the young woman asked.

Ranma turned to look at the girl before telling her, "Hi Minako. I'm here competing. Nabiki entered me in this to win a little extra cash." Ranma went back to his musing until it registered in his brain just whom it was that he had just spoken to.

Ranma manages to recover enough to ask, "What are you doing here? Wait, if you're here than…" Minako smiles and says, "Yes, he's competing as well. In fact, I believe he just won." Minako moves over to where her boyfriend is exiting the area in order to catch him unaware.

Ryoga smirked as he left the arena. _That was a good fight. He wasn't as strong as Ranma is but he put up a good fight and didn't quit when things got tough._

Things were looking up for the young Hibiki. Too bad he missed the person stalking him, looking to make him their prey. As he neared the spot where he had been resting between matches, all the sudden someone grabbed him from behind and nearly squeezed the air from his lungs.

"Hey honey, guess who's here." Minako whispered to her boyfriend. Ryoga looked over his shoulder at his girlfriend and said, "I wonder who it could be? Hmm…let me guess, is it Ranma?" Minako giggled and said, "How did you know, Ryoga?" Ryoga smirked and said, "Well you did say Hoatru said he would be here and didn't you say that Rei gave you something for him once she heard he would be here?" Minako pouted cutely and said, "You're no fun sometimes, Ryoga."

Ranma, who was sitting nearby, heard the whole thing and only reacted to the playful banter once a certain temple priestess was mentioned. He then approached Minako and asked, "Rei gave you something for me? Can I have it please?" Minako smiled and reached into one of the pockets on Ryoga's backpack and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Ranma.

Ranma tore open the letter and read the contents. After reaching the end of the letter, his eyes grew wide. Just to make sure, he read the letter again. After ensuring that he read the letter he held correctly, his aura flared, searing the ground at his feet. After his aura stopped growing he did the only thing he could think of. Ranma Saotome, the greatest martial artist of his generation, heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, and chaos magnet, screamed into the heavens at the top of his lungs, "WHY ME?!"

Ryoga stood staring at Ranma. _I haven't seen him act like this in a long time. I wonder what has him so angry._ After clearing his thoughts, Ryoga approached his rival and said, "Are you okay Ranma? What's wrong?" Ranma lowered his gaze to Ryoga's and said, "Rei's pregnant."

AN: Well, there's another chapter for you. Please read and review.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Ranma ½ it belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Talking

_Thinking_

Ranma groans as he returns to consciousness.

_Great, I let my emotions get the best of me and I used too much energy too fast. Now here I am, lying on the ground and I'm pretty sure that everyone who's been looking for me either saw or felt all the energy I was wasting and are on their way if not already here._

_I need to get moving._

Ranma started to sit up but was held down by two hands on his chest. He opened his eyes to see two hands in white gloves holding him down. After several seconds, he also noticed that he recognized the rings that were on the hands. _I wonder how they were able to keep them through their transformations._

Looking up, he sees the two owners of the hands looking down at him with concern shining in their faces. The one with the ring on her left hand is dressed in teal and cerulean. The other one dressed in red and purple. Sighing to himself, Ranma sits up and groans at how stiff his body is. Working the joints in his hands and arms to loosen them, he asks them, "So, what happened while I was out?"

The two women share a look and shake their heads at the stubborn martial artist. The one in teal sighed and said, "After you stopped putting out energy we ran here as fast as we could, with these two following us." As she gestures over her shoulder to two younger girls, one in purple and maroon and the other in yellow and cobalt blue. "We found a place to change, and then got here as fast as we could. Guess who followed us."

Ramna chuckled to himself. _It doesn't take a genius to figure out who might be here._ Taking a look around, Ranma saw the Fiancé Brigade, his father Genma, Kuno, and Mousse standing a few yards away. _Yeah, they're all here._ Nodding to himself, Ranma addresses the Sailor Scouts with his head down and his eyes closed. "Go ahead and get out of here, this is my problem not yours. I'll take care of it. If you see my wife, let her know I'll be home for dinner."

The Sailor Scouts look at him for a few moments before nodding and taking off into the city. Ryoga watches Ranma for a few minutes before deciding that he was being asked to leave as well. Ignoring everyone else, he turns to Minako and says, "Let's go Mina. We don't want to be near here right now." Minako nods to her boyfriend and lets him pick her up and Ryoga walks off in the same direction as the Scouts. Akane gives Ryoga's back a hurt look, but quickly turns her attention back to Ranma.

Ranma waits until the 4 Sailor Scouts and Ryoga take off before addressing the people who he used to let control his life. "So, you're all here. Can't say I'm surprised, none of you were ever good at letting go. So, what is it you want? It has been five years, haven't any of you moved on yet?" Ranma opens his eyes and looks up at what remains of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. "Of course not, that would mean you grew up while I was gone. Guess that was too much to hope for." Several voices shouted out at that comment.

"SHUT UP, YOU PERVERT!!"

"BOY, have you no honor!!"

"FOUL SORCERER, I shall free my fierce tigress and my pigtailed goddess from your evil spell!!"

"AIREN, you should not talk about wife like that!!"

"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO Ranma-sama, you should not have married another, now I shall have to remove her so we can wed!!"

"SAOTOME, I shall free my Shampoo from your grasp!!!"

"RANMA HONEY, who is this woman you've married? Aren't I your cute fiancé?"

Ranma sighed to himself. "See what I'm talking about? Those are the same words you all used 5 years ago. I used the last 5 years to grow and mature. I know I had my faults when I last saw you, but I grew up. I had to; my daughters needed me to be their father, not some uneducated, egotistical jerk."

Everyone looked shocked at that. Shampoo voiced the feelings of the rest of the fiancés. "Airen have children with other woman? That not right. Shampoo will have to remove obstacles from way." The fiancé brigade nodded in agreement.

"There is no way I'm raising some whore's kids."

"I agree with you this once, Tendo. I shall not help rear another's illegitimate offspring"

While Ukyo did nod, she didn't think killing his daughters was going to win him over. "While I can agree that raising someone else's kids is not something I want, trying to get rid of them will only anger Ranma." The other fiancé's looked thoughtful for a moment, thinking it through. Shampoo was undeterred though. "They are obstacles, obstacles are for killing."

Ranma was livid. He couldn't believe it. Just because they had lost, they were going to kill his wife and kids. It would only get worse if they found out about Rei. "I see, I didn't want to fight you guys, I really didn't. I was hoping we could talk this through like people are supposed to." Ranma's aura flared into existence. "If you can't accept that, then we'll do things your way."

Before they could start, 4 voices shouted out.

"Moko Takebisha"

The balls of ki impacted between Ranma and the wrecking crew. After the dust settled, everyone saw four people standing near Ranma. Everyone recognized one of the people, while Akane and Genma recognized the other three.

"Nabiki! She's your wife!?"

Nabiki smirked at the wrecking crew. Then turned to Ranma and whispered, "Ranma, I accidentally used my abilities on instinct when Akane challenged my back at the dojo. They bought the story about you figuring out elemental manipulation through the mind, but I'm pretty sure Kasumi saw through it." Ranma nodded to her, never taking his eyes off the other group.

None of the Wrecking Crew had anything to say just then. They all had looks of complete shock on their faces. Ranma shook his head and said, "What's the matter? No talking about killing me or those close to me when you don't have numbers on your side anymore?" Ranma laughed to himself.

Looking at the four people around him, he smiled. They were the two women in his life, Rei and Nabiki, next to them, his two daughters, Kiren and Hotaru. They were his family, his life. He had gone to school and gotten his license to teach to help support Nabiki and Kiren, and then later Hotaru. Rei was special too, the night they shared meant so much to him, and now she was carrying his child. No, he would not let anyone, let alone the people standing opposite him take that away.

* * *

Sailor Pluto was not having a good day. In fact, if you were to ask her, she would say that she hasn't had this bad a day since the Silver Millennium fell. All the work she had done to ensure Crystal Tokyo and it was coming apart. When she didn't save the old Neptune and Uranus, she did so because she wanted to continue to influence the princess to the outcome she was planning.

_Well, they do say that hindsight is 20/20._

That thought gave her little solace. The only thing she could think of was that she should have saved those damn lesbians when she had the chance. She hadn't particularly liked them, but they were loyal and good at what they did. Now she had 4 possibly 5 of the Sailor Scouts looking at the great freeze as an unacceptable scenario.

_So what if it'll kill over six billion people, I'll have restored the Silver Millennium to its former glory._

All this happened because the powers of the fallen scouts chose the wife and daughter of that….that man. Now she would have to take him out of the picture.

_How did I not see this coming back when I could have done something about it? He has to be a chaos nexus like Galaxia was._

She knew that the princess wouldn't like this, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. As long as the disloyal didn't see her do it, there would be no proof and she would save her dream. She would have already succeeded but fortunately for the chaos magnet, she had been delayed by a youma attack.

Now she stood waiting for her moment. She saw him standing there, off in the distance, the traitors standing there with him. She had watched Minako and her boyfriend take off, another loose end she would have to cut, and Venus didn't need a consort until after Crystal Tokyo was formed anyway.

Pluto smiled as she moved to a place directly behind her target. She had seen him fight, while he was good, he couldn't stop her attack. All she needed was the right moment. There, he's distracted, talking to the new Neptune. Her smile widened to its greatest size as she whispered her attack.

"Dead scream"

Her elation, which had been at record levels, suddenly dropped off as there was a flash of light and her attack was stopped. After her eyes readjusted to the light, her blood ran cold. Between her and her target was a purple energy barrier. _Silence Wall_ was the only thought she was able to get out before she had to defend herself against three very angry Sailor Scouts.

She was doing fine until she found her hands bound by a heart shaped chain.

Ranma wasn't in a good mood. He had passed out not too long ago due to using too much energy, and then he woke up to find most of his Neriman problems had found him all at the same time. Then, just to make his day that much better, one of the Sailor Scouts had just attacked him. All he needed now was someone to show up and claim that they are his child or something like that.

He paused at that thought and looked up to the sky.

_Can we keep that thought just between us?_

Unfortunately, things weren't going his way today and asking something like that was only asking for trouble. Out of nowhere, everyone heard a young voice rang out.

"Restrain her, Scouts but do not harm her too much. She has much to answer for." Ranma looked up in surprise to see Sailor Moon and her younger counterpart standing on a tree branch not far off. Chibi-Moon made sure Pluto wouldn't make any more trouble and then smiled and launched herself at Ranma.

"HI DADDY!!!"

AN: That's right, I'm back. Now, I know it's been a long time, but I'd like to think I did some justice to my story. Now, for those that read my Harry Potter story, I promised a few updates as well as a few new stories. Well, they are still coming. All I ask is a little patience. Before any of you get on me for writing these characters differently then how they are portrayed in their respective series, this is fanfiction; I see them differently than their creators did and have them act as such. As always please review and tell me what you think.


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